Read an original essay by Simon Winchester and save 30% on The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom.
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Read an original essay by Simon Winchester and save 30% on The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom.
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Gary Wood has commented on (4) products.
Conversations with Woody Allen: His Films, the Movies, and Moviemaking by Eric Lax
Gary Wood, January 18, 2008
The book is surprisingly good. Eric Lax has conducted interviews with Mr. Allen since 1971, and thereby spanning almost an entire career in the life of one filmmaker. The book covers Woody Allen as he makes the daring leap from the stage to the silver screen as a writer desperately longing to be a director and literally learning on-the-job with TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN (1969) and BANANAS (1971), both films Allen admits are nothing more than a series of jokes strung together.But, what makes “Conversations with Woody Allen” so compelling, especially to Woody Allen Worshipers (like myself) and writers in general, is the work ethic and the work process by which Allen is able to propel his career from a joke-a-minute movie-maker to one of the most revered filmmakers in the world. The book is full of fascinating insights into each and every film Allen has made, and as a filmmaker who has continually refused to enhance the DVD releases of his films with “Special Features” like commentary or behind the scenes; this book is the written equivalent of “Special Features”.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Born in Flames: Termite Dreams, Dialectical Fairy Tales, and Pop Apocalypses by Howard Hampton
Gary Wood, May 21, 2007
To Howard Hampton's credit, he makes no bones about paying dues to the great rock critic Lester Bangs, of whom he clearly idolizes (please read Lester Bangs' brilliant PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS AND CARBUREATOR DUNG). Lester Bangs' influence is smeared all over Mr. Hampton's prose, and Mr. Hampton more than holds his own. Howard Hampton, like Lester Bangs, has a knack for mixing just the right amount of name-dropping, pop culture references, skepticism, and passion, to give the reader the shove he/she needs to search out the great art that lies just beneath the surface of trash that covers the cultural land fill of America.
(2 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Housekeeping vs. the Dirt: Fourteen Months of Massively Witty Adventures in Reading Chronicled by the National Book Critics Circle Finalist for Criticism by Nick Hornby
Gary Wood, February 26, 2007
Having read Mr. Hornby's first collection of essays The Polysyllabic Spree, I was thrilled to read another. What's so fun about Mr. Hornby's literary musings is his absolute passion for books; finding, shopping, searching, collecting, and even reading. I love the opening page of each essay: books bought and books read, and how excited I get when I see a book I have read on his "books read" column. All of these essays are originally published in the literary magazine The Believer, but I so rarely remember to pick up the magazine, I read them for the first time in book form. Anyone that loves books, the collecting and the reading, will thouroughly enjoy Housekeeping vs. the Dirt.(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Gary Wood, November 29, 2006
Very entertaining, yes entertaining. I was constantly talking to myself while reading, as I would turn the page to reveal another revelation. What did I, as an athiest,take away from the book: Why did terrorists fly planes into our buildings? God. Why did men burn women at the stake? God. Why are we in Iraq? Oil...and God. Mr. Dawkins makes a powerful argument that religion has caused more damage to the world than good. Is it wrong that I recommend THE GOD DELUSION as a holiday gift? I think not. Happy holidays.(15 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)